My Life in Paragraphs

Crazy things happened this week, not the least of which is that MY BOOK WAS PUBLISHED! After way too many years trying to be a novelist (as opposed to a writer who writes whatever she is told to write for money), this week I officially became a novelist. Thanks to The Story Plant and specifically my editor and publisher, Lou Aronica, it finally happened. I wrote about the hows and whys of that journey on The Story Plant/Authors First blog. The next crazy thing that happened is that people read my book! They didn’t just buy it because they knew me and they were trying to be nice. Total strangers bought my book for money and then read it! Crazy. But then it got crazier because some of these total strangers wrote to me! Amazingly thoughtful and interested human beings clicked on my website, found my email and sent me a note to say they liked my book and/or tell me how it affected them. Blows me away. The thought that there are people out there reading my book RIGHT NOW is distracting. I catch myself marveling over the craziness of it and forget what I’m doing. Today when I was headed to my friend’s house to pick her up for our marketing, I completely forgot I was picking her up and got on the highway headed up to the market without her. I realized my mistake, but had to drive four miles to the next exit to turn around and go back for her. Probably I shouldn’t be driving. And then more craziness! Apple ibooks put I’m Not Her on their Best New Fiction list. Swoon. More distracted living – forgetting to brush teeth (or brushing them for nearly ten minutes before realizing I should stop), and then forgetting to let horses out until two hours past their normal time resulting in really dirty stalls to muck the next day and horse nearly trampling me on their way to the pasture. But then Kobo books listed I’m Not Her on their Pageturner List and I simply had to open a bottle of wine and wonder about all this. Which led to me eating WAY too many stale Cheezits the kids had left behind. Thankfully, the weekend was quiet and I filled it with weeding and pickling and watching my daughter perform the role of the witch in a community production of Into The Woods. (She was so amazing I actually forgot about the fact that I’M A PUBLISHED NOVELIST ON THE IBOOKS AND KOBO lists for a few hours.) Yesterday morning I went to my keyboard all set to do some work finally, but an email popped up from Lou. I’m Not Her had made the ibooks Top 100 Bestselling Fiction and Literature List! OMG. It’s only been out six days. So much for this week…..let’s hope I don’t walk into a wall or something.

Cara, so happy for your great success! Just writing and completing a novel is a tremendous accomplishment not to mention how it's being received! Just ordered mine from Greetings and Readings and I should be able to pick it up Thursday! Can't wait to start reading! Please keep me posted if you have any public appearances. Best wishes for you and yours!

Hi Mary Beth!! So great to hear from you! I hope to be down in the Baltimore County area sometime this fall for a gig or two, probably at a library. I'll post a schedule on the website and Facebook page when I have some things set up. Can't wait to hear what you think of the book!

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carol

8/11/2015 08:21:08 pm

Congrats Cara! I can't wait to read it. Start thinking about who you want to play the characters in the movie version! :-)

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Cara Achterberg

8/12/2015 12:04:59 am

Wouldn't that be something? Crazy to think about!

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Dahna Clarke

8/12/2015 08:11:46 am

Hey Cara - Ann J. (formally P.) forwarded me a link to your website. How exciting! I am an avid reader and looking forward to reading your book! I am not a Facebook person, so I am usually in the dark about what's happened to childhood friends and neighbors. I loved seeing your picture. You look great - just like you, but all grown up. You are welcome to email me and share any other news about your life since we all grew up and moved away. I hope this book continues to succeed and you have another one in the works.